Never Leave Me Again
by Bestbuds55
Summary: Daryl had given up hope for ever seeing Carol again, so when he does emotions fly high.


**Author's note: As you all know by now, season 5 has started! Not even going to talk about the squealing noise I made when the hug happened, not my finest moment. Or maybe it was, and I've just had a sad and sheltered life up till now. Yeah, I didn't believe it either. Anyway, this is just a one shot because I'm still working on my Planet of the Ape's story and have a bad attention span to write to longer stories at once! Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review if you have the time!**

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this life is my vivid imagination. **

**Warning: Spoilers if you haven't seen episode 1 of season 5!**

He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her. It had been one terrible situation after another since they had lost the prison, even though he had found the group he had lost Beth. Then terminus happened and they were held captive then brought out in front of a trough. It was like he was one of the many animals he had hunted in his life, and he didn't like it one bit.

After that explosions and fighting for their lives; but that was something he was just getting used to. Something that he had just come to expect out of his week. And then there she was, holding his cross bow, with a cautioned expression on her face. Like she wasn't sure if she could be in the group again, like she was trying to figure out if one of them would attack her.

The explosion had been caused by her; she had saved them all. Saved him from being slaughter and then eaten. There was no way he couldn't run to her and clutch his arms around her, if he didn't squeeze she might just disappear again. And she might've, for all he knew this was all just another dream of his where she had walked back into his life to only not be there when he woke up again. The nights had been cold since she had been gone, lonely and bitterly sad.

He lifted her up into his arms and off the ground like he had been wishing he had before she was gone. There wasn't time at the moment to ask for an explanation, to break down and hold her close until he was sure she wasn't going to leave him again. That could wait until they weren't out in the open though, and he forced himself to let her go.

Then Rick came up and hugged her as well, and Daryl felt his heart slow down to a normal rate; Rick accepted her back with no problem and no questions. He felt ecstatic, and couldn't even keep himself from moving. While Rick embraced Carol he paced behind them, then returned beside them again. He felt like running a mile and then turning around and coming right back to Carol to see her smile t him again, maybe even make a joke or two. How he had missed her bad jokes.

Then Carol did an even more amazing thing then coming back to him, she lead the group to little Judith. And Rick was brought to tears holding his daughter once more. Daryl was of course, more than happy to see the little girl again as well, but nothing would beat Carol coming back to him. He went to stand next to her as they watched the Grimes family have their reunion, and couldn't help but swing his hand over to catch hers, squeezing it tightly. Nothing had ever felt better then when she squeezed back.

Then they were moving again, and he had to let go of her hand in favor of being able ready his cross bow in case of trouble. Yet as they paraded away proud and ready for anything as a group, he stuck to her side for all but the few moments when she sped up to talk to Rick. She was quiet instead of joking, but she was real and beside him once more. And he was never letting her out of his sight again.

He had felt lonely and lost without her; even if he didn't want to admit that out loud. The rest of the group mattered a lot to him, been better family then he had ever had before the world went to shit. Carol kept his head planted on his shoulders with a clear mind full of everything that needed to be done. It had been terrible without her, he had been weaker and far less capable; if Carol had been with him he might've even been able to stop Beth from being taken.

Just walking beside her now made him calm and giddy all at once; like his was a teenager right after his first kiss all over again. Okay, well that hadn't actually made him like that considering it had been with a prostitute at a bar. His brother had paid her to do it just because he want to be able to make fun of him for it in later days. He had been angry at that time, because Merle was never as quiet or sneaky as he thought he was and Daryl had overheard beforehand. Still, right now walking with Carol he could image that this was what it was supposed to feel like. Shit, he'd better not be blushing now.

It wasn't until they stopped for the night that he and Carol had any time to talk; well talk without the prying ears of the others at least. The quiet night was filled with whispers between the two of them catching up and Carol telling him how she had been surviving in the woods alone. Telling him how she had been using the things that he had been teaching her to survive. How she had hunted and skinned, used his past on knowledge to see which trails to avoid in the woods. He was proud of her and didn't even bother holding himself back from telling that to her. Her smile made his heart soar.

Which is why as they leaned together against a tree about to go to sleep for a while, (Carol had said the two of them could take last watch, and everyone knew Daryl didn't mind that watch because he was always up that early anyway) he couldn't help but whisper to her. "Never leave me again, I can't do this without you." He didn't really get a response but Carol reached over and squeezed onto his hand, and kept it there as they fell asleep together.

He fel


End file.
